Can’t offer any advice re construction but bamboo is a very thirsty plant and will rely on you watering if in a container. Once grown little rain will penetrate as the plant effectively acts as an umbrella.
Few will look happy in containers over the longer term without active care - feeding, watering and every few years repotting (or if remaining in same container - lifting, dividing or root trimming and replanting in refreshed compost).
I would plant bamboos or climbers given the size of container, both together will be too much competition
Oh dear, what you said makes sense and it has really upset me. The reason I choose bamboo was for the privacy it would give plus the fact it still lets the natural light in. I would get lovely sunsets on that side of the garden.
I guess I could solve the watering issue by installing water pipes in the soil and then I just turn on a tap to water the bamboo. However also not being able to grow a climber on the pergola would upset me as I want a sky garden.
To solve the issue of not being able to grow climbers could I begin the bamboo at the letter P of the word Planter on the first image which would leave a roughly 600mm gap between the first pergola post and the bamboo. I could then at least grow climbers around the first beam. I could also grow climbs on the last beam if I install the climbers on the other separate planter on the opposite side.
Or would a better option be to just install steel wires between the posts and train climbers up them? See the below image. I could fill the planter with other plants rather than bamboo?
Personally I would consider going with just climbers. It’s probably worth thinking about what height you want the privacy at - often privacy is as much about feeling a sense of privacy than being completely screened. Is it a particular neighbours window you want ‘hidden’ or is it about breaking sight lines when you’re sat down. Climbers trained up the posts and then along the beams would hang down so giving some privacy higher up.
I wonder if using wires and climbers all along, or bamboo, would actually make you feel too enclosed and hide too much of your sunset?
Plants in the containers could give privacy lower down, using airy plants would allow views out to your garden and the sunset but break sight lines so that you have a feeling of privacy.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
I think the idea of breaking sight lines when I am sat down is more the problem I want to solve. I am warming to the idea of climbers. As you say train them up the posts and along the side beams as well as along the main beams.
Maybe I could run just two metal wires between the beams so the climbers are not just dangling and blowing in the wind from those side beams.
Are we talking 3 years for the climbers to be established? Maybe 5 years for them to grow along the entire length of the main tall beams?
If I have the climbers do I even need a raised bed? The raised bed only advantage is that it saves a few extra months of growing time as I can place the climbers higher up initially. Could I plant other plants in the raised bed as well as the climbers, or is there not enough room?
Bamboo needs lots of water, and if you pick the wrong ones, your entire bed will be filled with it, unless you completely enclose it. Anything in a raised bed needs far more care than if it was in the ground. Nothing is instant, unless you have the funds to buy everything at a mature state, and have the skill to maintain them.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Bamboo needs lots of water, and if you pick the wrong ones, your entire bed will be filled with it, unless you completely enclose it. Anything in a raised bed needs far more care than if it was in the ground. Nothing is instant, unless you have the funds to buy everything at a mature state, and have the skill to maintain them.
So would you suggest getting rid of the raised bed completely? It would save me a ton of money.
I haven't looked at the whole thread - sorry. I'll read back before saying more
Ok - a couple of questions - what's a sky garden? Why did you think you needed a raised bed?
If you want a pergola, that's quite straightforward. If you then want to plant 'screening' of any kind, climbers will certainly do that, and unless there's something wrong with your soil or the site, you can add further screening using grasses or shrubs
Have you got a photos of the site? That might help with useful advice, because the general area is quite hard to visualise
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I haven't looked at the whole thread - sorry. I'll read back before saying more
Ok - a couple of questions - what's a sky garden? Why did you think you needed a raised bed?
If you want a pergola, that's quite straightforward. If you then want to plant 'screening' of any kind, climbers will certainly do that, and unless there's something wrong with your soil or the site, you can add further screening using grasses or shrubs
Have you got a photos of the site? That might help with useful advice, because the general area is quite hard to visualise
Please see the below images of the site. The image with the neighbour's shed is the side I need to screen. The garden is North Facing. I was told the walls and patio will generate sufficient heat to help plants grow.
A sky garden in my mind is when the entire pergola is covered in climbers. From inside the house, the sky is green.
I had intended to get a raised bed because it would have meant I could have bought shorter bamboo.
The area where the pergola is going will be a raised patio, it will be raised 310mm from the ground. If I were to have soil exposed on the raised patio does this make that area a raised planter even if it is flush with the raised patio?
Technically, yes - if you're having a raised patio, then any gaps [assuming they're filled to the same level] would be considered a raised bed It's hard to see what the ground is like, but before you plant anything, you'd need to make sure the soil is in decent condition. That means adding organic matter - manure, compost etc, to give plants a good start, and also make sure the gaps are a decent enough size to allow the plants to establish well. The plot is very small, so I'm guessing you'll get very little sun at all, with the amount of buildings etc at quite close quarters. A north facing site can be more difficult in terms of plant choices, but there are certainly plenty of climbers which will grow in shade - lots of the early clematis, for example. Any heat from walls etc, is irrelevant - a climber that grows in shade, and is hardy, will be fine. Sufficient water is a more important factor, especially until established I don't know what you're making the patio with, but I'd avoid solid paving or decking. An enclosed, north facing site will be treacherous in wet or icy weather, unless you never need to use it in those conditions.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
If I have the width of the gap on the raised patio at 800mm would that be wide enough?
The fact the gap will be totally open to the soil beneath and will only be 310mm deep should in theory mitigate a lot of the problems raised beds have? Another option is to only bring the raised patio out 1800mm from the house and just place the pergola at ground level.
I was planning to use granite paving slabs. Instead of doing that would you suggest laying grass turf? You can see the neighbour has it on the last image.
6 feet [180cm]isn't very big for a patio though, but you'd need to decide whether that's big enough for your needs. Grass won't grow well in shade under a pergola covered in climber foliage. Lots of difficulties with that. I'd use gravel or slate chippings or similar. Anything else will be slippery. 80cm would be a reasonable size for a single climber, and a few small plants as well, but you'd need a fairly vigorous one to cover an entire pergola. A honeysuckle, or a Clematis montana for example.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
I guess I could solve the watering issue by installing water pipes in the soil and then I just turn on a tap to water the bamboo. However also not being able to grow a climber on the pergola would upset me as I want a sky garden.
To solve the issue of not being able to grow climbers could I begin the bamboo at the letter P of the word Planter on the first image which would leave a roughly 600mm gap between the first pergola post and the bamboo. I could then at least grow climbers around the first beam. I could also grow climbs on the last beam if I install the climbers on the other separate planter on the opposite side.
Or would a better option be to just install steel wires between the posts and train climbers up them? See the below image. I could fill the planter with other plants rather than bamboo?
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Maybe I could run just two metal wires between the beams so the climbers are not just dangling and blowing in the wind from those side beams.
Are we talking 3 years for the climbers to be established? Maybe 5 years for them to grow along the entire length of the main tall beams?
If I have the climbers do I even need a raised bed? The raised bed only advantage is that it saves a few extra months of growing time as I can place the climbers higher up initially. Could I plant other plants in the raised bed as well as the climbers, or is there not enough room?
Your advice has been most helpful.
Anything in a raised bed needs far more care than if it was in the ground.
Nothing is instant, unless you have the funds to buy everything at a mature state, and have the skill to maintain them.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ok - a couple of questions - what's a sky garden?
Why did you think you needed a raised bed?
If you want a pergola, that's quite straightforward. If you then want to plant 'screening' of any kind, climbers will certainly do that, and unless there's something wrong with your soil or the site, you can add further screening using grasses or shrubs
Have you got a photos of the site? That might help with useful advice, because the general area is quite hard to visualise
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
A sky garden in my mind is when the entire pergola is covered in climbers. From inside the house, the sky is green.
I had intended to get a raised bed because it would have meant I could have bought shorter bamboo.
The area where the pergola is going will be a raised patio, it will be raised 310mm from the ground. If I were to have soil exposed on the raised patio does this make that area a raised planter even if it is flush with the raised patio?
It's hard to see what the ground is like, but before you plant anything, you'd need to make sure the soil is in decent condition. That means adding organic matter - manure, compost etc, to give plants a good start, and also make sure the gaps are a decent enough size to allow the plants to establish well.
The plot is very small, so I'm guessing you'll get very little sun at all, with the amount of buildings etc at quite close quarters. A north facing site can be more difficult in terms of plant choices, but there are certainly plenty of climbers which will grow in shade - lots of the early clematis, for example. Any heat from walls etc, is irrelevant - a climber that grows in shade, and is hardy, will be fine. Sufficient water is a more important factor, especially until established
I don't know what you're making the patio with, but I'd avoid solid paving or decking. An enclosed, north facing site will be treacherous in wet or icy weather, unless you never need to use it in those conditions.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The fact the gap will be totally open to the soil beneath and will only be 310mm deep should in theory mitigate a lot of the problems raised beds have? Another option is to only bring the raised patio out 1800mm from the house and just place the pergola at ground level.
I was planning to use granite paving slabs. Instead of doing that would you suggest laying grass turf? You can see the neighbour has it on the last image.
Grass won't grow well in shade under a pergola covered in climber foliage. Lots of difficulties with that. I'd use gravel or slate chippings or similar. Anything else will be slippery.
80cm would be a reasonable size for a single climber, and a few small plants as well, but you'd need a fairly vigorous one to cover an entire pergola. A honeysuckle, or a Clematis montana for example.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...